By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
The chaos unfolding in Los Angeles isn’t just disturbing, it’s the natural result of years of political cowardice and ideological extremism. The riots erupting in response to ICE’s lawful enforcement of deportation orders are not acts of civil disobedience. They are acts of defiance against the rule of law itself. And the blame lies squarely at the feet of Democratic leadership in California, who declared Los Angeles a “sanctuary city,” emboldening illegal activity while abandoning their sworn duty to protect American citizens.
Let’s be clear: no elected official has the right to nullify federal law to score political points. Yet that’s exactly what California’s leadership has done – undermining immigration enforcement, encouraging lawlessness, and then expressing feigned outrage when ICE agents attempt to do their jobs. These riots aren’t spontaneous. They are the predictable byproduct of years of signaling that immigration law doesn’t matter, that American sovereignty is negotiable, and that citizenship is just a suggestion.
Sanctuary Cities Are a Betrayal of Representative Government
Elected officials are bound by oath and by principle to uphold the laws of the United States and to protect the citizens they serve. The decision by California’s leaders to harbor those who enter the country illegally, while denying cooperation with federal immigration authorities, is a gross betrayal of that responsibility.
This isn’t compassion. It’s abandonment.
The job of government is to protect borders, enforce laws, and ensure that American citizens, regardless of race, income, or status, can live in safety and security. When officials choose instead to prioritize non-citizens who knowingly broke the law over legal residents who followed it, they are no longer serving the people who elected them. That is not democracy. That is dereliction.
The J6 Double Standard Is Impossible to Ignore
Now let’s talk about hypocrisy.
Imagine, for one moment, that the same scenes of violence and defiance erupting in Los Angeles today were taking place in opposition to a Democratic policy. Picture streets blocked, police assaulted, and federal orders defied – not in the name of sanctuary, but in the name of national security or border enforcement. What would the coverage look like then?
The January 6 riot was wrong. But it was one day. What’s happening in LA is institutionalized lawlessness, defended openly by sitting politicians and media allies.
The left labeled January 6 a “threat to democracy,” yet they celebrate or downplay illegal protests that block ICE agents from executing deportation orders under laws passed by Congress. They throw the book at protestors in D.C. (without due process in many cases), but they protect rioters in LA who interfere with law enforcement and endanger public safety. They call one group domestic terrorists; they call the other “activists.”
This is not about justice. It’s about control. It’s about protecting narratives, not enforcing the law. The American people see it, and they’re tired of being lied to, which is arguably why President Trump was elected with a plurality in the first place.
The Mexico Myth
And here’s the most galling piece of it all: many of the same protesters chanting in the streets about how wonderful Mexico is – waving flags, invoking pride, demanding respect – are the same individuals who fled that very country. If Mexico is such a beacon of opportunity, why violate federal law and risk your life to escape it?
Let’s not pretend this is about love of heritage. It’s about leveraging identity to excuse lawlessness. You cannot escape a country, illegally enter another, and then demand both protection and immunity while simultaneously championing the greatness of the place you refused to stay in.
The American people are incredibly generous. They welcome immigrants – legal immigrants – who come here to build, to work, and to respect the laws of the land. But what’s happening now is not immigration. It is a crisis of sovereignty, and the cost is growing with every unchecked riot and every vote cast to support the policies that caused it.
Final Word
The riots in Los Angeles are not a symptom of injustice. They are the consequence of elected leaders refusing to govern, refusing to uphold their oath, and refusing to put the interests of American citizens first. This is what happens when symbolism is placed above sovereignty, when ideology overrides law, and when hypocrisy is so thick that truth can no longer breathe.
This is not sustainable. This is not leadership. And it is certainly not justice. The American people deserve better, and they must demand it.
C. J. Garbo is a political strategist and 15-year Colorado law enforcement veteran who is certified by the FBI’s Command Institute for Law Enforcement Executives. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he studied constitutional law. He has a long track record of public service and policy advocacy. Known for his principled leadership and clear moral voice, he brings a unique blend of national security insight, constitutional conservatism, and community-focused governance to today’s most pressing issues. Garbo is a vocal defender of religious liberty, public safety, and the foundational American values of justice, dignity, and equal protection under the law.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.